Child-related budget calculator 2026

The child-related budget (kindgebonden budget) is the Dutch allowance for the cost of raising children, paid monthly on top of the universal child benefit. In 2026 a couple with one child can receive up to €2,580 a year, a couple with two children €5,160, and every further child adds €2,580. Children aged 12 to 15 add €724, those aged 16 and 17 add €964, and single parents receive a top-up of €3,416. The budget is reduced by 7.6% of the joint assessment income above €39,141 for couples or €29,736 for single parents. A couple earning €45,000 with children of 4 and 8 receives €392 a month, exactly as in the official worked example. Because the phase-out is gentle, many middle-income expat families qualify without knowing it: a one-earner family on €55,000 with two young children still receives €329 a month.

How it is calculated

Take the maximum for your number of children and your situation, add the supplements for children aged 12 and over, then subtract 7.6% of the joint income above the threshold. A couple with €45,000 and teenagers of 13 and 16 gets a supplement of €1,688 and a budget of €533 a month. The monthly payment is rounded down to whole euros.

Maximums and zero points

How the phase-out works in practice

The reduction is 7.6% of the joint income above the threshold: every €1,000 of extra income costs €76 a year in child budget. That is gentle compared with healthcare and rent allowance, which is why the budget reaches far into middle incomes. A couple with two children under 12 receives something until their joint income reaches the zero point in the table above. Supplements for teenagers push that point further up: each child aged 12 to 15 adds €724 to the maximum, and each child aged 16 or 17 adds €964, so families with teenagers keep a right at higher incomes than families with toddlers.

Because the joint income counts, the budget reacts to both partners' earnings. A partner who starts working after a period at home can lower the budget even when the main earner's salary stays the same. Report the change and the new estimate straight away in Mijn toeslagen, so the advances follow and you do not face a repayment a year later.

Expat families: arrival, child benefit and children abroad

In the year you arrive, only the income of that calendar year counts, which often means a low joint income and a sizeable budget for the months you live here with your children. Child benefit from the SVB is paid per quarter and is not income-tested; the child budget comes on top of it and is income-tested. Children who live outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland can count, with a country factor that reduces the amount to anywhere between 100% and 0% depending on the country. If one parent lives and works in another EU country, coordination rules decide which country pays family benefits first; ask the SVB before you rely on the Dutch amount.

Assets and other conditions

Assets on 1 January 2026 may not exceed €146,011 for a single parent or €184,633 for a couple, including assets abroad and green investments. The budget is for children under 18 and comes on top of child benefit. A new partner, a separation or a child turning 18 changes the amount: report it in Mijn toeslagen. For the bigger picture, combine this budget with healthcare and rent allowance in the allowance calculator.

Frequently asked questions